Another week in December

Work is picking up now and I foresee longer evenings at the office the upcoming months. Busy is good though and time flies. Take last Tuesday, during which I had a client meeting in the morning and spent half the afternoon out of the office. Trying to make up for the lost time only worked to a certain extent as I had a tennis match scheduled that evening at eight, in between which I managed to eat a sandwich and changed. I love the vibe of a busy life in a capital, with loads going on and a challenging environment at work. Dublin in December has even more to offer, with Christmas drinks organised almost weekly. Whereas two weeks ago we had a team lunch that lasted until well into the evening, last Thursday the entire department was enjoying drinks ‘n dinner in a lovely restaurant where I hadn’t  been before. The list of eateries is endless and there’s always new stuff to explore! The treasures that have already been discovered should be treated accordingly though, so Bo and I took the mother in law to Bodega, my favourite restaurant in town and still serving exquisite tapas with a lovely red wine. And now that I’m sitting in the window sill, warm and cosy, watching the rain and wind howl outside, I am content to conclude that yesterday’s tapas have already been compensated for by this morning’s two hour run in the Phoenix Park with Pieter. The exercise has been ticked off, time for the reward!

The Weather

After an unusually warm spring, an unusually warm summer, an unusually dry fall, and an unusually warm and dry beginning of the winter it has to be said that I am very lucky with my first 10 months here. OR the Irish are not rightfully complaining about their climate. It's December and the other day I was taking a lunch time stroll without a wearing jacket. And just now I was playing tennis -although quite challenging not the most demanding exercise- in shorts and a t-shirt. The evening feels warm like a summer night, and the evergreens surrounding the tennis courts only add to the effect. Winter in Dublin, so far so good! 

Pre-Christmas in Dublin

Although I generally prefer to be on the move, the occasional weekend in Dublin could be most enjoyable, as is confirmed once again over the past days. With the previous weekend in the Netherlands and Christmas travels coming up I find myself comfortably enjoying a few days in what is becoming one of my favourite cities in Europe. And while plenty of time is spent relaxing and chilling out and reading and writing and sleeping and napping and eating and the like, a bit of exercise is warranted to make one fully appreciative of all the former. Hence Bo and I decided to set off to a brisk beach walk yesterday afternoon, hiking from Killiney to Bray. I am under the impression that the small stretch of land between the low cliff-like sandy hills is only accessible at low tide, whereas it comprises of rocks and stones that are still wet from the high tide that was undoubtedly preceding a few hours before. Rather strenuous because of the uneven surface the exercise proved to be quite a work-out and the reward in the embodiment of a huge burger and a pint of stout was a very welcome one indeed at the Porterhouse in Bray. Apart from the large variety of rubbish that the sea was returning to us main land inhabitants we did spot two remarkable mammals on the way. Whereas I first thought to have spotted two swimming dogs, it was really two seals that stuck their heads out of the waves (hence the Dutch word for seal – zeehond!!). After having watched Liverpool beat West Ham we left the Porterhouse and took a bus back home. Changing quickly in proper Christmas gear we set off towards the National Concert Hall where we enjoyed a performance of two century old Wexford Christmas Carols. Although the performance was all in all quite enjoyable, it featured some odd instruments including some sort of a musical box. The guy ‘playing’ the box did little else than turning a sling attached to it which resulted in a high pitched squeaky melody that was not exactly aligned which the otherwise very capable singer and the cello which was being played by a hot Irish girl in rather unattractive shoes. Bo and I enjoyed the more upbeat songs a lot more than the outstretched religious lamenting but all in all it was 20 Euros well spent. Another good night’s rest and an altogether more passive day today –insofar possible- with the only workout being an hour or so on the hybrid as I took James out for the ‘small circle’ i.e. up the Dublin mountains and circling back to Ranelagh. Despite my three layers of protective clothing I was still shivering after an intensive headwind climb uphill which didn’t leave me linger too long at my favourite viewpoint but rather had me thundering downhill swiftly enough, overtaking cars in an altogether most irresponsible but all so enjoyable sweeping rush home. With the adrenaline quickly receding from my blood I put James back in the shed, took a long hot shower, and sank in the couch next to the newly set-up Christmas tree. Weekends spent in Dublin, they aint that bad.